Mysore State Railway

Mysore State Railway
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Line of route
Mysore to Bangalore Bangalore to Harihar
Gauge / mileage
Metre gauge	296 miles (1905)
Timeline
1887	Leased to Southern Mahratta Railway
1919	Mysore-Bangalore section reverted to State
1938	Bangalore-Harihar section reverted to State
Key locations
Presidency	Madras
Stations	Bangalore, Birur, Harihar, Kadur, Maddur, Mysore, Seringapatam, Tumkur
System agency
1882	Worked by Southern Mahratta Railway
1938	Reverted to Mysore State Railway control
How to interpret this infobox

Mysore State Railway
[[Image:|150px| ]]
System timeline
1887	First system leased to Southern Mahratta Railway
1912	System re-formed by State of Mysore
1919	Reversion of some lines
1938	Lease terminated and lines reverted to full State of Mysore control
Constituent companies / lines
1919 & 1938	Mysore State Railway
1938	Anandapuram-Sagara Railway
1919	Birur-Shimoga Railway
1916	Bowringpet-Chikballapur Railway
1921	Chickjajur-Chitaldrug Railway
1918	Chikballapur-Bangalore City Railway
1918	Mysore-Arsikere Railway
1919	Mysore-Nanjangud Railway
1926	Nanjangud-Chamrajnagar Railway
1934	Shimoga-Anandapuram Railway
1921	Tadassa-Hebbe Tramway
1917	Tarikere-Narasimharajapura Tramway
Key locations
Headquarters	Mysore
Workshops	Bangalore
Major Stations	Arsikere, Birur, Bowringpet, Chamrajnagar, Chikballapur, Chitaldrug, Harihar, Hassan, Hindupur, Kadur, Maddur, Nanjangud, Seringapatam, Shimoga, Tumkur
Successor system / organisation
1950	Nationalised
1951	Southern Railway (IR zone)
System mileage
Metre gauge	600 miles (1940)
2' 6" NG	102 miles (1940)
2' 0"	36 miles (1940)
Associated auxiliary force
n/a
How to interpret this infobox

The name, Mysore State Railway (MSR), originally referred to the metre gauge(MG) line which connected the State capital, Mysore, to Bangalore and named the Mysore-Bangalore Railway. Later, MSR, or Mysore Railway as it was sometimes known in this context, was the name applied to a network of disjointed metre gauge(MG) branch lines owned by the Princely Mysore State Durbar.

History

Following the disastrous famine of 1876-1877, the original sections of the MSR were planned and built by the State of Mysore, opening to traffic during 1881-1882. In 1887, in order to eradicate its "famine debt", the State of Mysore leased the MSR to the Southern Mahratta Railway (SMR) for a period of 45 years. .

In 1907, the SMR transformed itself into the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway (M&SMR), with the lease following. At this time, the Railway Department of the State of Mysore was defunct.

From 1912, the State of Mysore again became actively involved in the promotion and construction of railway lines within its boundaries, and, between 1916 and 1918, opened 232 miles of railway to traffic. In 1919, the State succesfully sought the reversion of the Mysore to Bangalore section and two branch lines, the Birur-Shimoga and the Mysore-Nanjangud Railways. Further construction, chiefly between 1921 and 1934, added 105 miles of new track.

From 1 January 1938, the lines leased to M&SMR reverted to the control of the State of Mysore, creating a homogenous railway of just under 740 miles. In 1950, MSR was nationalised and in 1951 became part of Southern Railway, one of the then newly formed zones of Indian Railways.

Lines worked by MSR at some time

• Bangalore Harihar Railway, opened 1919. Worked by Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway(M&SMR) until 1919, then MSR.
• Birur-Shimoga Railway, opened 1899. Worked by M&SMR until 1919, then by MSR
  • Anandapuram-Sagara Railway, opened 1938. Further extension of Birur-Shimoga Railway; worked by MSR.
  • Sagara-Talaguppe Railway, opened 1940. Opened as extension to Birur-Shimoga Railway; worked by MSR.
  • Shimoga-Anandapuram Railway, opened 1934. Opened 1934 as extension to Birur-Shimoga Railway; worked by MSR)
• Bowringpet-Chikballapur Railway, opened 1916. Narrow Gauge Railway; worked by MSR.
• Chickjajur-Chitaldrug Railway, opened 1921. A short MG branch line, worked by MSR.
• Kolar and Mysore District Board, owners of two NG Narrow Gauge Railways, both worked by MSR
  • Chikballapur-Bangalore City Railway, opened 1918
  • Yelahaka-Bangarpet Railway, opened 1913 and extended 1918.
• Mysore-Arsikere Railway, opened 1918. Worked by MSR.
• Mysore-Nanjangud Railway, opened 1891. Worked by M&SMR until 1919; then by MSR.
  • Najangud-Chamrajnagar Railway, opened 1926. Extension of Mysore-Nanjangud Railway; worked by MSR
• Tadasa-Hebbe Tramway, opened 1921. Worked by MSR
• Tarikere-Narasimharajapura Tramway, opened 1915. Narrow gauge tramway, worked by MSR

Records

Refer to FIBIS Fact File #4: “Research sources for Indian Railways, 1845-1947” - available from the Fibis shop. This Fact File contains invaluable advice on 'Researching ancestors in the UK records of Indian Railways' with particular reference to the India Office Records (IOR) held at the British Library

An on-line search of the IOR records relating to this railway gives the following: -

• R/2/Box4/34; “Files 479A 1-3 1888 Cession to the British Govt. of jurisdiction over the Mysore State Railways”; 1886-93
• /L/F/8/13/939; “Southern Mahratta Railway Company Limited, Contract for an extension of the Mysore State Railway and maintenance and working and extension as separate undertaking Secretary of State”; 31 Aug 1887
• L/F/8/20/1704; “Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Company Limited, Contract as to transfer of Mysore-Nanjangud, Birur-Shimoga and Mysore-Bangalore sections of the Mysore Railway to the Mysore Durbar Secretary of “;24 Oct 1924

Unfortunately, there are no MSR Staff agreements held at the British Library in the India Office Records.

Personnel

• Augustus Le Messurier Col. R.E. Bombay Engineers, was appointed Engineer-in-Chief of Mysore State Railway in 1879 and became Manager in 1880 .
• Henry Wilkins Clift, Executive Engineer from State Railways was posted to the Mysore State Railway from c.1879

Further Information

For details and map for railway and tramways in the north of Mysore State see Tramways in Mysore State